News

Pro Shop’s Chad Mumm on the return of The Skins Game

Published

7 months ago

Nov 18, 2025

Last month, we reported the exciting news that The Skins Game is returning after a 15-year hiatus. This edition is produced by Pro Shop and Propagate Content in collaboration with PGA Tour Studios. The 9 a.m. ET Black Friday event will be broadcast on Prime Video and features Tommy Fleetwood, Shane Lowry, Xander Schauffele, and Keegan Bradley competing at Panther National in Florida, a new course co-designed by Jack Nicklaus and Justin Thomas.

With the November 28 competition right around the corner, we spoke with Pro Shop’s Co-Founder and President, Chad Mumm, about The Skins Game’s triumphant return. In addition to his many other duties, Mumm is an executive producer of the event. Enjoy the conversation below.

GolfWRX: When did you first get the idea, “We should bring back The Skins Game”? Was there a specific moment that lit the spark for you?

Chad Mumm: When I was growing up, the only golf that was ever on in our house was the Masters and The Skins Game. Watching The Skins Game on Thanksgiving weekend was a huge part of my early golf life and has always been something that I’ve missed since it’s been off the air. After Full Swing’s initial success, the first thing I asked the PGA Tour about was, “Could we bring back The Skins Game?” So this is really the result of three-plus years of work and planning to get it back on the air on an amazing network (Amazon Prime) and on Thanksgiving weekend.

GolfWRX: What did The Skins Game mean to you growing up as a golf fan? Any particular year or player that’s burned into your memory?

CM: I vividly remember watching the 1996 Skins Game with Tiger Woods and John Daly hammering drives over 350 yards in front of thousands of people out in the desert, and I was hooked. Other than Tiger, watching Fred Couples clean up at The Skins Game with his silky swing was everything I wanted a golfer to be.

GolfWRX: Did you talk to any of the original Skins Game legends or past producers for advice or stories while you were developing this?

CM: I’ve been lucky enough to have had conversations with several of the people involved with the original Skins Game, including Paul Spengler and the family of the original producer, the late Don Ohlmeyer. It’s hugely important to me for our reboot of the franchise to live up to what they invented and perfected in the ’80s and ’90s.

GolfWRX: The original Skins Game had this mix of big money, trash talk, and a relaxed vibe. Can we expect all of the same this time around?

CM: We definitely want to capture the same ethos: our players are all big personalities, they will be miked up the whole time, and they are playing for a big pot of money ($4 million) that is going to create very dramatic moments where a player has 7-figures or more riding on a putt. Beyond the structure of the gameplay, we are trying to bring a very classic approach to the broadcast production as well. That means players will be walking the course with caddies, we have hours and hours of archival footage from past Skins Games we will be integrating, and we will have some of the most legendary Skins Game participants included in the show. We’re even taking a throwback vibe with the music and the graphics that I think fans of the original Skins Game will have a ton of fun with. It should scratch the itch, for sure.

GolfWRX: The “reverse purse” idea, with starting players at $1 million and having totals move up or down, where did that come from, and what do you hope it does for drama?

CM: The most notable new element we are bringing to the classic Skins Game is this notion of the reverse purse, which came out of a conversation that I had with a player competing in this Skins Game about how to create more stakes in the moment for the guys out on the course. We think the twist of having the players each starting with $1 million and having their totals go up and down as Skins are won and lost will make the pressure in the moment feel even more tangible than it would with them all starting at zero.

GolfWRX: How much did you think about making the format easier for casual or new golf fans to understand versus keeping it pure for golf sickos?

CM: The great thing about a Skins Game is it’s really easy to follow on television. Each hole has a fixed dollar amount, a tie on a hole means the money carries over, and since it’s an individual competition with four players, the game creates a fun dynamic of shifting alliances as players become friends and then rivals on a hole-by-hole basis. And there’s not much more exciting than seeing a putt for a huge amount of money, even in this era of pro golf with its enormous purses.

GolfWRX: You landed a field of four Ryder Cup-level stars for the comeback edition. What did those early conversations with players sound like?

CM: Everybody was excited to see The Skins Game coming back, probably Keegan Bradley most of all (which I think says something about how meaningful it is to our generation, as he and I are the same age). We hand-picked the players, but after the Ryder Cup, it took on a life of its own in terms of the subtext for the match between Keegan, Xander, Shane, and Tommy.

GolfWRX: Why Panther National, and what made it the right stage for the reboot?

CM: Our time slot (9 am ET) as the lead-in to Amazon’s NFL Black Friday game meant that we had to find an East Coast venue, and I couldn’t be more excited about hosting it at Panther National. It’s a perfect host venue for this event, with plenty of risk/reward opportunities, and it is a course that very few people in the public have ever seen before. We think it’s going to really show off. It’s built into these wild dunes and has a lot more elevation than you would expect in Florida, and it can play really firm and fast.

GolfWRX: What does success look like for you beyond ratings? Social buzz, younger demo engagement, international reach?

CM: Above all, we want to do right by the legacy of the original Skins Game. This is an iconic franchise that we have the honor of bringing back, and we want to be good stewards of the history while bringing it into the present day. Success to us is that golf fans all over the world tune in and enjoy some great, high-stakes competition on a holiday with their family and friends, and we begin a new tradition that carries on into the future.

Editor’s note: In more recent Skins Game news, it was announced host Andrew Catalon, on-course
analyst Colt Knost, and on-course reporter Dan Rapaport will be the on-air team for the broadcast. Capital One was announced as the entitlement sponsor.

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 U.S. Women’s Open

Published

22 hours ago

Jun 3, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

GolfWRX Tour Photographer made the trip from the Memorial Tournament across the country to the U.S. Women’s Open at Riviera. Check out links to all the photos below!

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 Memorial Tournament

Published

3 days ago

Jun 1, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

GolfWRX is on site this week at the Memorial Tournament, with both Alistair Cameron and Tour Photographer Greg Moore on the ground in Dublin, Ohio, where a strong field is assembled to pay homage to the Golden Bear.

In addition to WITB galleries, we’ve already been treated to an in-hand look at Tommy Fleetwood’s new TaylorMade Spider putters.

Check out links to all our photos below.

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

News

Tour Tech Rundown: Heroic Henley

Published

3 days ago

Jun 1, 2026

Ronald Montesano

Around the world, the golf wheel spun this final week in May of 2026. From New Jersey to Austria, with stops in Korea, Texas, and North Carolina (don’t let me route your next trip) the world’s finest put their golf games on display. There were three playoffs, some known commodities and some new talent. It was the sort of week that we hope to have at this point in the seasons. June and July afford double-digit major events, and perhaps, one of this week’s champions will use this success as a springboard to new heights. Time to run it all down, tech style, in this week’s Tour Tech Rundown.

Thanks to WITBHub, Today’s Golfer, GolfWRX, and Inside Tour Golf for initial research into equipment.

PGA Tour @ Charles Schwab Challenge: Heroic Henley denies Cole

Eric Cole did nearly everything that a fellow can do, to secure a first PGA Tour title. He stayed one shot clear of Ryder Cup player Ben Griffin. He kept US Open champion Gary Woodland and wunderkind Michael Brennan two shots distant. He posted 70 on day four to reach twelve under par. And then, Russell Henley revealed his Dr. Strange cloak. Henley made 47 feet of birdie putts on holes 16, 17, and 18, to jump from minus-nine to twelve-deep, and secured a spot in a playoff with Cole. The duo returned to the final tee, and put on a stripe show.

Both golfers found the fairway off the tee, and Henley improved on his regulation play with an approach to four feet. Cole did himself proud, tucking an iron to a dozen feet, but he was unable to convert the putt for three. Henley is one of the best putters on tour, and he proved it once more by draining a putt for a fourth consecutive birdie, and a sixth PGA Tour title. For Eric Cole, that first victory should come, and soon. He has done everything necessary to earn the chalice lift.

Henley’s Suitcase

Driver: Titleist TSi3 at 10 degrees. Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 70g 6.5 TX
Metal: Titleist TS3 at 16.5 degrees. Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 80 TX
Hybrid: Titleist TSi2 at 21 degrees. Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT hybrid 100 TX
Iron: Titleist T250 4-iron. Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Golf AMT Tour White X100
Irons: Titleist T100 5-6 irons. Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Golf AMT Tour White X100
Irons: Titleist T100 7-9 irons. Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM11 at 48 and 50 degrees. Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Golf Tour Issue X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM11 at 54 and 60 degrees. Shaft: rue Temper Dynamic Golf Tour Issue S400
Putter: Titleist Scotty Cameron T5 Tour Prototype

LPGA @ Shoprite LPGA: Welcome back, Celine!

Soo Bin Joo had her eyes on a maiden LPGA title. She held the lead after two rounds, then hit a red light at the intersection of can-I and how-To. Joo posted plus-two on day three in New Jersey, and dropped to a T4 finish, which was still a career-best for the young Korean golfer. Instead of a new face, a familiar face returned to the top of the podium.

Celine Boutier was the It Girl in 2023. She collected four victories, including a major title at Evian. Boutier reached world number one status, then simply faded into the background. No wins came her way over the next 30 months. On Sunday, she collected LPGA victory number seven, at the same trace as LPGA victory number two.

Day three saw Boutier manage the windswept Seaview Bay course with six birdies and a bogey. She was challenged in the end by Thailand’s Arpichaya Yubol, who signed for a 66 of her own. Yubol came up one shot shy of the top ladder rung. Finishing in third place at -7, two back of the winner, was Ireland’s Lauren Walsh.

Celine’s Suitcase

Driver: PXG 0311 Black Ops Tour-1 at 9 degrees. Shaft: Graphite Design AD IZ-5
Hybrid: PXG 0311 Black Ops at 19 and 22 degrees. Shaft: KBS Hybrid Prototype
Hybrid: PXG 0311 Gen5.
Iron: PXG 0311 P Gen 4 5-9 irons
Wedge: PXG 0311 T Gen 4 PW
Wedges: PXG 0311 Sugar Daddy II at 50, 54, 58 degrees
Putter: Bettinardi Studio Stock 3 DASS

DP World Tour @ Austrian Alpine: KK? KK!

Kota Kaneko has a rhythmic name. It has strong vowels and a run of voiceless stops in its crunchy K sounds. On Sunday in Austria, Kaneko put a stop to a challenge from Portugal’s Ricardo Gouveia and everyone else, and claimed a first-ever title on the DP World Tour. Gouveia did well to reach 16-under par over four days, but Kaneko held firm, two shots in the clear.

Davis Bryant of the USA also forged a strong challenge for the win. He ended in a tie with Gouveia for second place. Kaneko began and finished his final round in a bit of a malaise, but he caught fire midway through. Birdies at 10, 12, and 13 provided the necessary cushion to cruise to the finish line without breaking a serious sweat.

Kaneko’s Suitcase

Driver: Ping Max G440
Metals: TaylorMade Qi4D at 15, 16.5, 21, and 24 degrees
Irons: TaylorMade P760 5 and 6 irons
Irons: TaylorMade P7TW 7-9 irons
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design at 46, 52, 56, and 60 degrees
Putter: Odyssey Ai-One Cruiser Arm Lock #7

Korn Ferry Tour @ UNC Health Championship: Improbably Alvaro

Alvaro Ortiz may have had a bit of scare on the outward nine on Sunday, but he came through in clutch fashion in the end. Ortiz began the day bogey-double, and added another double bogey at the 11th hole. He was mired in a downward trend, spiraling away from the top of the leader’s board. Ortiz found hope at the 14th, where his first birdie of the day tumbled home. Inspired, he closed with birdies and 17 and 18 to catch Ross Steelman at 10-under par, and the duo returned to the 18th deck for overtime.

The extra session concluded in brief time. Ortiz, buoyed by his newly-retrieved confidence, hit the fairway with driver, then approached to six feet and drained the putt. Gobsmacked, Steelman could do little more than smile and applaud, as his run at the top came to a close. The victory was the first for Ortiz on the KFT, and will implant him squarely in the chase for a PGA Tour promotion.

Alvaro’s Suitcase

Driver: Ping G430 MAX driver at 9 degrees loft
Metal: Ping G430 MAX 3W
Iron: Ping iDi Driving Iron
Irons: Ping Blueprint S irons
Wedges
Putter: Scottsdale TR Piper C

A party on the green!

Alvaro’s time comes in Raleigh with his first win @UNCHealthChamp ? pic.twitter.com/2dmtZdbSzk

— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) May 31, 2026

LIV @ Korea: Me llamo Joaquin

Chile’s Joaquin Niemann had been away from the LIV winner’s circle throughout all of 2026. This week in Korea, he reminded us that he is still a force to consider. Niemann chased down Taylor Gooch over the closing holes at Asiad Country Club, then claimed victory with a hole-one birdie in extra time. Bryson DeChambeau claimed solo third, one shot in arrears at minus-eleven. Dustin Johnson finished on fourth, one putt farther back.

Niemann’s Suitcase